The total for 2005 climbed to $5.9 billion, continuing to trail 2004 by more than nine percent. The difference is greater percentage-wise comparing seasons—summer 2005 has grossed $3.3 billion thus far compared to summer 2004's $3.7 billion at the same point.

Date ShiftsNew Line Cinema shipped The New World from a wide Nov. 11 release to Christmas day in Los Angeles and New York City, in order to qualify for the Academy Awards. The Terrence Malick-directed period drama featuring Colin Farrell and Christopher Plummer is set to reach nationwide release on Jan. 13, following a similar pattern to Malick's last picture, The Thin Red Line in 1998.

MilestonesWith $181.5 million in 42 days, Wedding Crashers became the highest-grossing comedy of the year, out-gunning Hitch's $179.5 million.

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers

Earlier in the week, Wedding Crashers topped There's Something About Mary's $176.5 million, though it is unlikely to beat it in terms of number of tickets sold. The 1998 R-rated comedy ancestor of Wedding Crashers shared the same release date, July 15.

Wedding Crashers also inched past Pretty Woman to be the eighth highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. The $40 million Owen Wilson-Vince Vaughn comedy is on course to cross the $200 million mark and could gross more than Batman Begins by the end of its run.

Meanwhile, March of the Penguins waddled past $50 million on its 62nd day of release. Worldwide, Mr. and Mrs. Smith passed $400 million, and the picture still has the lucrative countries, Japan and Italy, to look forward to.

End-of-RunThough it's still playing in a few theaters, Lions Gate has pulled the plug on The Devil's Rejects' box office, ceasing tracking as of Aug. 25. At 1,757 theaters, director Rob Zombie's follow-up to House of 1,000 Corpses grossed only $17 million, but improved on House's $12.6 million. The horror picture cost $7 million to make and is scheduled for a Nov. 8 release on DVD.